Sedgwick County, Kansas Fire District #1

Chief Gary Curmode

It has been a privilege and an honor to represent the Sedgwick County Fire District #1 as your Fire Chief since 1995. Today's fire service is drastically different than when I began in January, 1972, as a firefighter. Customer service is at our forefront in both emergency and non-emergency responses. Our department is involved in a myriad of activities to assist in our mission...

"To serve the public by protecting life and property, minimizing the impact of fire, and rapidly responding to medical emergencies, potential disasters or uncontrolled events that adversely affect the community and environment."

Our most important asset to our citizens in the accomplishment of our goals and objectives is our employees. They number one hundred-thirty-nine and come from different backgrounds, cultures, gender, race, educational levels and age.

Our Vision:

To be the best we can be.
Customer service is our focus.
Our most important assets are our employees.
We are good guardians of our fiscal and human resources.
Teamwork is a vital part of our foundation.
Integrity is always maintained.

Core Values

Integrity - Be honest, above board, and dedicated to serving others.
Work Ethic - Be proud, work hard, and strive for excellence in service.
Service - Provide excellence, top quality, and reliable service to the citizens.
Trust - Build on the areas of common ground, "agree to disagree" but maintain the trust, and have mutual respect for any diversity among each other.
Caring - Be safe, do no harm, be nice.
Innovation - "Get out of the box", ask why not, set the bar higher each year, make it happen.
Motto - "Be the Best we can Be".

Gary E. Curmode, EFO/CFO
Fire Chief

News

Viola Township Receives Insurance Premium Reduction

Many citizens in Viola Township in southwest Sedgwick County will see a significant savings on their insurance premiums.

The Insurance Services Office recently surveyed Viola Township according to available fire protection and the results are in.

Viola Township is currently rated as a class 10 insurance protection class; in the near future many citizens of Viola Township will be in insurance protection class seven, which is a significant improvement.

This reclassification will affect approximately 95 households, which is a majority of the households in Viola Township.

The estimated potential savings in insurance premiums for Viola Township will be $40,000 per year.

This reclassification is the result of a joint effort between the City of Viola, the Viola Fire Department, Sedgwick County Fire District #1 and Sedgwick County Public Works.

Test Smoke Detectors

Since Thanksgiving 2008, there have been 158 fatal fires in the United States and more than 200 fire fatalities. In response to one of the most deadly holiday seasons due to residential fires in recent memory, Sedgwick County Fire District #1 asks all residents to test their smoke detectors and add detectors to parts of the home where they are scarce. Read the complete release.

Employment

Sedgwick County Fire District #1 is a proud member of Kansas Fire Service Partnership (KFSP). The KFSP is an association of fire departments in Kansas joining together to enhance professionalism in the fire service, provide greater opportunity for individuals wishing to enter the fire service as a career, and make responsible use of resources entrusted to public safety agencies by the taxpayers of Kansas.

The Fire Science Program of Hutchinson Community College coordinates and administers the application and examination process for KFSP member departments. Applicants who complete the application / examination process may choose which member departments they wish to be eligible for employment with.

For more information and to apply please visit the Kansas Fire Service Partnership page on HRePartners.

Patch Requests

Due to intelligence reports on possible terrorist attempts to gain fire and EMS uniforms, equipment and even vehicles, we will only trade patches with other local public safety or governmental agencies.